The oyster industry (1881) (14596337250)

Identifier: oysterindustry01inge (find matches)
Title: The oyster industry
Year: 1881 (1880s)
Authors: Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946 United States. Bureau of Fisheries United States. Census Office. 10th census, 1880
Subjects: Oyster fisheries
Publisher: Washington, Govt. Print. Off.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



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cause of the greatest confusion, to try to ascertain to just what extent the score of oystermen in NewYork produced native oysters, apart from the share which country capital had in it. The arrangement betweenthe New York man of money and his rural partner is usually this: The former furnishes the needed money, thelatter does all the labor, and the cost of taking up and the i)rofits are equally divided. The reason why thecapitalists name does not appear, which would redound to his credit as an extensive operator, is, that the bedsare usually in Connecticut or in New Jersey, while he is a citizen of New York, and in both those states thelaw forbids a non-inhabitant to i^lant oysters. The same law holds even in respect to towns, so that a man mustlive immediately at his beds if he intends to work them himself. But, of course, no legislation can forbid partuershiiior borrowing money, or hiring out ones services, even if the other party concerned be not a citizen of the state ortownship.
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THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 127 Under this system the country partner reports to the census what amount he raised and sold, saying nothingabout where liis means came from—which is something the inquirer did not care to know. It only remains to askthe city man the number of oysters that pass through his hands, without (piestion as to what part of tliese wereraised out of his money—a question it would be almost, or quite, impossible for him to answer. ^Nor could hetell what these cost him, since a part of the investment which has been made long ago, is known to have been lost,a part remains ungathered on the beds—always an incalculable quantity, for accident may destroy all of it—and the harvest comes in by piece-meal. He cannot teU what these oysters have been worth precisely. He onlyknows, in a general way, whether his ventures in a certain place have been profitable or not. A large proportion of the oysters handled by these New York fii-ms, however, are bought from planters whoown b